A Look At The NHL Playoffs

Ah yes, my favorite time of the year, the road to the Stanley Cup, where every game is a nailbiter, every team ups their play to a whole new level, and in general there is just more intensity. For us Chicago fans, it will be filled with even more anxiety than usual, since we absolutely expect the Blackhawks to win the Cup this year. We have the offense and we have the depth this year to win it all, depth that we will not have next year due to the need to clear cap space. The time is now, and the Hawks know it.

But what about the goaltending? Niemi has not started a single playoff game! There's no way he can hang with the veterans of the NHL! Well...not exactly. First off, in spite of the Hawks giving up the fewest shots on goal against them throughout the season, Niemi still has a great GAA and has proven in the past that he can hang in there. Secondly, let's take a look at the starting goaltenders this postseason:

Jose Theodore
Evgeni Nabokov
Martin Brodeur
Antti Niemi
Ryan Miller
Roberto Luongo
Marc-Andre Fleury
Ilya Bryzgalov
Brian Elliott
Jimmy Howard
Tuukka Rask
Jonathan Quick
Brian Boucher
Pekka Rinne
Jaroslav Halak
Craig Anderson

Out of 16 goalies, 7 of them have never started a playoff game, including Nashville's goalie Rinne. Out of the nine that have started a game, you have perennial chokers in Theodore, Luongo, and Nabokov (the Peyton Manning of the NHL), a 3rd string backup in Boucher, and a player who has not won a playoff series (Halak). This year, more emphasis will be placed on defense, because no team wants to know if their goaltender can handle the playoff pressure (not even Brodeur...I'd say the Pens and Sabres can feel a little bit safer with Fleury and Miller but that's it). For the Hawks, their D will need to be at its best, because we already know how potent the offense can be. I think they will pull it off without much worry.

With that said, here are my predictions for the first round:

Caps over Habs in 4: Halak will need to play like he did in the Olympics for Montreal to even stand a chance to win one, and even then they'll need Theodore to choke. I think the Capital's offense is too much for the Canadiens to handle.

Flyers over Devils in 7: The Flyers won 5 of 6 against New Jersey in the regular season, and I believe that will bowl over into the postseason. Carcillo should antagonize Brodeur like Byfuglien did last year to Luongo, and we know how frustrated Marty can get. Parise and Kovalchuk will lead the Devils to seven games but Philly is looking to prove they are better than their seed indicates.

Sabres over Bruins in 6: Rask will keep Boston alive for a bit but the total lack of offense combined with having to score on Ryan Miller is going to bury them.

Penguins over Senators in 5: The Pens are not the Stanley Cup winning team they were last year, but Ottawa is facing some key injuries, and they have been terribly streaking all season (win 10 in a row, then lose 8 straight, and so on). Also, there's Crosby, and he likes ruining things, so this won't be a competitive series.

Sharks over Avs in 5: As much as I want to make the upset pick because lol Sharks, but they got the one matchup they needed to get to the 2nd round at least. Colorado backed into the postseason, not winning many games in the final stretch. They'll still win a game because it's the Sharks, and they might even win two, but I think they're finally burned out.

Hawks over Preds in 5: Rinne will singlehandedly win a game for Nashville, and then the Hawks will own them the rest of the way. Nashville's goal differential is a big fat zero going up against the Hawks' +62. Hawks need to make a statement with this series.

Canucks over Kings in 7: LOL Luongo will force Vancouver to play seven games, but I don't think Quick will be exceptional enough to help a Kings team that likes to stagnate from time to time, on both offense and defense.

Red Wings over Phoenix in 7: I hope I'm wrong on this one, but it's Detroit in the playoffs, and it's very difficult to go against them. Phoenix is a great team, and given the circumstances surrounding their ownership throughout the season, it's amazing they are here at all. Bryzgalov will have to play out of his mind to stop the Wings' offense, and he is certainly good enough to step up his game tremendously, but I don't think they can survive here.


Wow, that was a long post, I could talk about the playoffs forever but I really should take a break. Let's go Hawks!